Contender
by Megan11209
Summary: Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson were best friends, but ended their friendship because of her infidelity with Luke by kissing him, which changes their attitudes towards each other. Soon, both are singers in New York on subway flats, trains, and the streets, both conflicted with thoughts of their past. But when a record deal comes along, what will happen to them...?
1. Prologue

_Hey, Guys,_

_So, here's my new story! I know I have published anything in my other story, so this is to make up for it! Though, I will continue with the other one, too. In fact, I have 1/344554... percent finished of the next chapter. See, how far I've accomplished (not)? Its going to be a Halloween story about The Seven of The Prophecy! So, yeah! I didn't right PJO, the amazing Rick Riordan did!_

_Love, _

_Meg!_

_P.S: my tumblr account will sometimes post sneak peeks of my story and posts about PJO! Its: megan11209._

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_At the tender age of six, Annabeth is the smartest kid in her classroom of first graders. That's not shocking to her parents, because she could read at such an early age, she learned to talk earlier than most kids, she was adept to anything she did in life. She was one of the teacher's pet in class, she followed orders very precisely, she did everything her parent told her. She had a huge room at home, filled with toys, books, games, and anything she wants. She could sing as well as those pretentious theater children. To everyone around her, she was perfect. She had the modeled life any child could want._

_But none of that made Annabeth feel any more secure. She felt alone every day, no material possession or high praise made her feel better. The nanny that took care of her wasn't better, despite how nice the young lady was to her. _

_Her parents were never home to take care of Annabeth, hence the nanny. They were always off to another place or county in the world, securing some kind of business deal or offer. Her mother, Athena Chase, was head to the Athens Architectural Association, the biggest Architecture firm in the world, bringing her mother some sort of fame for that. Her father, Frederick Chase, was a highly famous historian, always finding different clues to the mysteries of history. _

_So, on her first day of first grade, she was left with only the nanny to drop her off. Her parents made the excuse of business in Greece and just couldn't make it, but felt guilty and offered to buy her the newest toy on the market when they returned. After many pleas and begging about not leaving from Annabeth, they finally left, leaving her with the nanny, once again._

_Annabeth was standing in front of the closed door to the first grade, her hand wrapped around her nanny's leg, wishing Mommy and Daddy were there with her. But to no avail, they wouldn't be. The nanny finally opened the door, revealing the infamous first grade._

_The class room was decorated in yellow paint and park scene painted in one side of the room, desks occupying every space, and toys gathered together in a plastic bin. The scene looked very studious to her, which made her panic recede a little._

"_Will you be okay, Ms. Chase? I am quite sorry that your parents could not be here to welcome to your new class. I will have to leave soon." Her nanny said to Annabeth, albeit a little insensitive. After meaningless goodbyes, she left, leaving Annabeth in the Classroom. There was a perky, brunette lady sitting at the biggest desk in front of the blackboard. That must be Ms. Danni, Annabeth though. Soon, she had finally met the teacher, said her hellos, made her piece, she was left to sit at a desk. _

_Annabeth hadn't noticed that there was a young boy sitting adjacent to her, she probably was too preoccupied to notice. He was kind of tall, had green eyes, and black hair. All of a sudden, he grinned at her, making her feel a tad more comfortable in the strange room. _

"_Are you starting the first grade, too? My mommy says there will be other children here, not just me!"_

_This sentence causes Annabeth's train of thought to stop short. Why else would she be here if she wasn't starting school? She wasn't here to observe, now was she? Of course, there would be other children, it's a classroom!_

"_Why else would I be here if I wasn't a student?" Annabeth didn't mean to sound rude, but his question seemed really pointless. But he didn't seem to be fazed at all, he still continued to smile, then shrugging his shoulders at the same time. _

_She wondered why he was okay with asking such a pointless question, or did he not realize it? She hoped he would. She wouldn't want to be correcting him the whole time while in the class. _

"_Your statement seems kind of stupid, it's like you have seaweed in your head or something, do you?" She asked, sounding rude again. But she didn't mean it that way, she was simply too curious. _

"_Not that I know of, but my Mommy always tells me that I'm silly. Is that the same thing?" He asks, now curious, too. She shakes her head in rejection of his statement._

"_Not to my knowledge, no. But, either way, I'm going to call you 'Seaweed brain', okay? It just makes too much sense."_

"_Okay, but that means I need to call you something too, it's only fair," He says, She nods her head in, "you're pretty smart, aren't you? You're a girl, too?"_

"_Of course I am!" She practically yells, but not with anger, and not clarifying to what question she answered. _

"_Well, then, I am going to call you 'Wise Girl' from now on, because you're a girl and smart, and you'll be my new best friend, okay?"_

_She can only nod her head in agreement, happy to have made a friend. Now, maybe she won't feel so alone all the time?_

_At fourteen years old, Annabeth still feels alone, but only about her parents. She still does everything perfect. She has the highest grades in the 8__th__ grade. She is the perfect athlete at softball, volleyball, and track. She finally looks like she got out of that adorable child look, no more baby fat, no longer short, and no puffy, red cheeks. She is now tall, slim, and pretty. She actually had been asked out by the kid named Luke, who has blond hair and blue eyes, and a big scar adorning his face. She had said no, because Percy didn't like Luke, they were enemies. To this day, she was still best friends with Percy Jackson, her special Seaweed Brain. _

_Over the years, he grown up more and more. Well, everybody grows up one way or another, but he did especially. Everybody sheds their baby looks, and believe Annabeth, he did. He looked very cute every day, even handsome. He was still funny, but grew more into sarcasm and the rolling of his gorgeous sea green eyes. He was amazing at most of the sports he played all of the girls in his class liked him, but he never asked them out, he only hung out with Annabeth. _

_That was, until of a couple hours ago. Rachel Elizabeth Dare had walked up to Percy and Annabeth that day in the cafeteria, confidence lacing its way into her step. Rachel was a daughter to the man who owned Dare Enterprises, and had long, red hair, and green eyes that were lighter than Percy's. Before that afternoon, Annabeth had always gotten along with Rachel, 'because she wasn't stuck up like other rich kids. Yes, Annabeth was one of those "rich kids" but she hated announcing it to the world. _

"_Hey, Percy! Want to come hang out with me after school?" Rachel said, enthusiasm in her voice._

"_Uh, I guess, but I was going to hang with Annabeth this afternoon." He replies, grinning at Annabeth, who he had an arm thrown over her shoulder, in friendly way. But Rachel ruined that at the moment._

"_Oh, I don't think she would mind, would you, Annabeth?" Rachel batted her eyes innocently at her. _

"_Um, sure, go ahead, Percy. I have tons of homework to get done, so, um, yeah." Annabeth tried her best not to sound like the awkward teenagers that they were. But she tried to not let that sinking, burning feeling in her heart get to her. It was just going to be platonic between Rachel and Percy, right? If it wasn't…the thought was just too sad to think about. But Annabeth's brain interrupted her heart and thought, But he's just your friend and it shouldn't matter if Percy like liked Rachel Dare. _

"_Okay, then, sure, let's hang after school." Percy got up and walked away, making plans with Rachel, leaving Annabeth behind with a sinking feeling._

_Hours later, currently, Annabeth was sitting Indian Style on her lavish bed listening to some amazing, alternative music, doing some easy algebra. But her concentration was interrupted when somebody yanked her earphones out, and then she was staring at her green-eyed friend, who looked so happy and grinning, too._

"_What?" She asked, bitterness working its way into her tone. He immediately adapted a frown and confused look to his face. Which made Annabeth even angrier, he didn't even understand her. He always understands her, no matter what situation, despite him being her 'Seaweed Brain'._

"_Did I do something to you, Wise Girl?"_

"_Why else would I be so made right now? Worst of all, you don't even realize what you did!" She practically spit out the last word at Percy, all of attention focused on him, and not on her algebra. His face immediately hardened, anger now etching its way across his face. _

"_Well, if you're so worked up about this, why don't you tell me, eh?"_

"_Because you went out with that skank, that's why! You ditched me for her! You didn't care about me at that moment! I turned down Luke when he asked me because you were jealous, and you couldn't even turn down her?" She says 'her' as if the word tastes like poison to Annabeth. At some point, tears started to slide down Annabeth's cheeks, making her already intense, gray eyes even stormier. His face turns to an indignant look._

"_First of all, I just hate Luke, okay? He is an arrogant douche. Second of all-wait, are you jealous of Rachel, Wise Girl?" His stubborn look turns into a soft one, which make Annabeth turn her head away. She'll never win this "argument" if he looks at her like that. But during all of this, she hasn't denied her jealousy towards Rachel. She feels a rough, calloused hand and fingers find her chin, and softly tug her face towards his, which has gotten extremely close to hers. So close that their noses are practically touching, lips brushing each other's when there's talking._

"_Are you jealous of her, Annabeth?" He asks this again, lips brushing against Annabeth's, making her feel some kind of warmth. He doesn't even use her nickname, which is how she knows he's completely serious. _

"_Yes." Was Annabeth's only reply. His eyes took on a look Annabeth had never seen before, one that made butterflies erupt in her stomach. He leaned forward ever so slightly, and let his lips brush Annabeth's, fully kissing her. A kiss that she gladly returned. When he pulled back, he just looked at her. Then he said:_

"_You never have to feel jealous, Annabeth. I've liked you, okay? I only accepted Rachel's offer because I wanted to see if you reciprocated my feelings. Do you?" He technically never apologized to Annabeth about going with Rachel. But with the way he was staring, like his whole life depended of her answer, was enough to make her forget all about that. She smiled warmly at him, he reciprocated._

"_Yeah, I think I do."_

_Annabeth was now sixteen year old, and she didn't feel alone anymore. Things were still perfect, she was the smartest person in sophomore year, her hair had grown so long that it was down her back, she had gotten even taller. She was still an amazing singer, as was Percy, she would even sing in front of tons of people, now. She had been dating successfully dating Percy for two years, now, and was happier than ever. Yeah, they had their fair share of fights, but they were happy, and still best friends. Well, that was until things took a twisted turn for the worst, completely usurping her world wholly. _

_She had been at the football game for about an hour now, her attention was completely on the quarter back, no other than her boyfriend, Percy Jackson. Their team colors were blue and gold, which means that Annabeth, girlfriend to the head football player, was decked out in team colors in the front row, screaming on the top of her lungs for Percy. At some point, he looked back and winked her, grinning from ear to ear, looking amazing in his uniform. _

_But eventually she decided that she needed to head to the bathroom to freshen up and gain some relent from the tortuous winds. As she was walking in the path to the bathroom, she hadn't even noticed that Luke had walked up right beside him, covering her eyes and whispering in her ears, a tiny, "Who is it?" Annabeth had immediately stiffened, she knew exactly who it was._

_Annabeth had confusing feeling towards Percy and Luke. She knew she had definite feelings towards Percy, but she also had some sort of feelings for Luke. Despite their happy mood earlier, Percy and Annabeth had been having a lot more of fights lately, all of them were about Luke. She had kissed Luke some point earlier in time, one that Percy knew about, and had been confused about ever since. _

_Now, she had her back pressed against the wall with Luke's hands on either side of her head, he was smiling at her, one that made her dizzy and guilty for enjoying it. She had to remember that she was dating Percy, not Luke. Percy would never kiss somebody else while dating her. But when he leaned his head down, she couldn't resist. But then she heard a rustling in the bushes, and there came Percy, a frown etching itself on his face. Then anger towards Luke. He immediately went up to Luke with a fist raised, but Annabeth stepped into the middle of the boys, catching his fist in her hand and putting the other one his chest, holding him back._

"_Please, Percy, calm down!" He stopped, hearing her pleading tone, but glared at Luke. _

"_Luke, get out of here, okay?" She said, softly. He nodded, and left the other way. Percy coughed something the sounded like "coward". He turned to Annabeth, a sad look on his face. A look that made Annabeth's eyes tear a little. _

"_You have feelings for him, don't you?"_

"_Yes." She could only nod her head, a guilty feeling spreading through her chest._

"_I knew it for a while now, but I just didn't want to admit it to myself, I was just trying to fool myself." _

"_I'm so sorry." He looked so dejected, but then a look of betrayal and hurt crossed his face._

"_I am, too. I should've realized what a selfish person you are. Glad I know now, before things got serious" _

Little did Annabeth Chase know that Percy Jackson would become one of her rivals, enemies, and contenders. Only did she wish she knew how much Percy would come to despise her and yet need her at the same time to flourish their singing careers. How much Luke would come to screw her over, and leave her for nothing. How much she truly loved Percy Jackson, but hated him at the same time.

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Did you like it? I technically posted this new story earlier today, but decided to remove it and rewrite it, so here it is! I'll definitely go into more depth in the next chapter, hopefully!


	2. Chapter 1

Hey, Guys!

So, here's officially Chapter 1! Hope you enjoy! Review, please?! I may or may not be posting a Punk!Percy or Punk!Annnabeth or Girly!Percy or Girly!Annabeth today...we'll see how many views and reviews this gets:) Its not going to be supper long, but It'll suffice!

Love,

Meg!

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"_Annabeth Chase, what are you saying?" Athena Chase practically screeched at her daughter, eyes wide with panic for her daughter. It was as if her ears didn't hear anything, as if she was purposely trying to ignore what her daughter was saying. As if she couldn't understand why her daughter had said and made this decision. Then, of course, her father felt the need to chime in._

"_You cannot be serious, Sweetheart? You're only seventeen!" Annabeth's father seemed to be just as upset as Athena, but he actually seemed to hear her, and not pretend like he didn't. Her father was always the more attentive out of the two parents, although he ignored just as much as Athena did, but was one percent more perceptive._

"_I am absolutely serious, why can't you respect my decision?" Annabeth had finally told her parent the major decision that has been wracking her mind ever since the option was brought up. Just two weeks ago, Luke had decided to propose to Annabeth. It wasn't like those promise ring kind of proposal, the real kind, with a real diamond ring and everything. A promise to love her forever, to always be truthful to her, to protect her through thick and thin. So, Annabeth had told him that she needed to leave and think about it, and she did. But while thinking, only one thing came to her mind. Her former best friend and lover, Percy Jackson._

_She wondered what he would think about all of this, would approve? Of course he wouldn't, he was her ex-boyfriend. But without them dating in the past and remaining best friends, would he be okay with this? Would he support her? It was times like these that Annabeth really missed her best friend, the person who could always calm her, and the person that would be there for her forever. But isn't that what a husband is for? To be there forever? So, why shouldn't she say yes to Luke, she loved him enough too? It all of a sudden clicked in Annabeth's mind, she was going to say yes. She would put her trust into Luke, no matter what. If loved her, he wouldn't hurt her, right? She thought she may have loved Percy, he would never hurt her. So, she knew Luke wouldn't._

"_Because, as I've already said, you're only seventeen!" Her father replies carefully, as if making her upset will make her do something very rash. _

"_Age is only a number, dad." She replied, sounding the very epitome of sage. Though, her heart was pounding rhythmically in chest, but whether for nerves or excitement, she wasn't aware of._

"_That would sound much better if you were older than twenty one…" Athena grumbled, bitterness working its way into her tone. Annabeth rolled her eyes. That was her mother's typical response. Just because Annabeth was under drinking age, didn't mean that she couldn't make her own decisions. She was perfectly capable of deciding this. Frederick Chase had to calm down his wife a little, because her temper was going to reach an ugly point soon._

"_Well, I may not be of "age" to you, but I am capable of making my own decisions, thank you very much."_

"_How will you and Luke support yourselves? The kid doesn't have much of a career prospect ahead of him. What about high school, surely you'll finish, right? What about college? You're so smart, why waste that kind of knowledge, honey? Do you really think this will be a good idea for you?" He father was now trying the logical explanation, trying to make her see some sense. _

"_Yes, I do think this is a good idea," Annabeth replied, but there was a smidge of doubt, but she tried to hide it away as carefully as she could, "Luke says that I won't have to work, that he'll take care of me. Actually, I'm going to get my GED, and I'm going to take some online course for college." She replied briskly, not really going into much detail because of the looks her parents were giving her. _

"_So, you actually stand by this decision then, huh?" Athena ask very sharply, a new edge to her voice._

"_Yes, I do, mother."_

"_Well, if you choose to continue this foolish decision, then you're no longer welcomed in this house. When things explode in your face, and you need help, do not come knocking on this door. I warned you in advance. You're no longer my child. Malcolm is my only child as of now. " Her mother clenches her fists and jaw in anger, but a look of sorrow flashes in her stormy eyes, but disappears as soon as it comes. _

"_Athena, you can't possibly be serious? Could you?" Her father looks torn, he wouldn't want to upset his wife, but also doesn't want to lose his only daughter. _

"_I am serious, I've made my decision. I'm sorry you feel this way. Goodbye, I guess." Annabeth replied sadly, realizing this would probably be the last time she would ever see her parents again._

_A week later, Annabeth was standing inside a courthouse, waiting in a long, insulting line. It was crowded full of couples waiting to get seen by somebody, waiting to get married. She was part of the couples waiting to get married. She had probably waiting in line for about an hour and a half and was barely in the middle of the line. Her feet were hurting from the pair of shoes she was wearing and standing so long. Yeah, there were benches along the wall there waiting at, but most of the seats were already occupied. Currently, Luke was occupying a seat, playing on his touch phone, not paying Annabeth a single amount of attention. _

_When she had asked him if she could maybe sit down for a couple minutes, he briskly replied, "Sorry, babe, you should've found this seat sooner. Too bad." While he was saying it, he had barely looked up from his phone. But when he did, there was just annoyance in his pale, blue eyes._

_Annabeth didn't know what was up with Luke, he never ever acted like this with her. If he did somehow become angry for some reason, he would snap out of it in the very next minute. Either way, Annabeth felt uncomfortable, like she was making a wrong decision. She immediately dismissed that thought, she loved Luke, and he wouldn't always be like this in their marriage. _

_All of a sudden, her old best friend, Percy Jackson, popped into her head. She wanted to stop thinking about him. Over the last week, her mind had been corrupted with him, memories of him, him as her boyfriend. His loving and loyal ways to her, and how she had practically stomped all over him, how selfish she was. These things just plagued her subconscious, making her even guiltier. But she usually stopped after this one particular thought, she broke his heart, not the other way around. She chose Luke over Percy, this was all of her fault. If she had any doubts about her upcoming nuptials, she owed it to herself and Luke to make this work somehow. She had thrown away all of her prospects. She had thrown away her education, old life, and everybody that was important to her, especially Percy. Annabeth had dug her own grave, she had made her own decision. She wasn't going to quit._

_After another painful hour of waiting, Luke ignoring her, him refusing to let her sit, they were finally in the front of the line. The lady managing the line walked inside into the court, turning her back to us, going to check on the progress. Luke sat up immediately, trying to discreetly watch her while she walked away, checking her out. This made Annabeth's blood boil. She was his fiancé, and here he was checking out other girls on their wedding day. How dare he? Percy would never have straying eyes if she was marrying him, this wasn't fair to her, she thought. _

"_Are you checking her out?" Annabeth asked, bitterness was evident in her tone. Luke looked as if someone had affronted him._

"_What? That lady over there- the clerk? No, of course not! I'm marrying you, Annabeth! I love you." He tried to sound like he wasn't doing anything, but she always knew better. She felt like there was a hot iron placed on her chest, slowly a burning feeling was spreading its way across her heart. Her relationship was horrible at the moment, but she couldn't leave him yet. She had chose him over Percy, so she obviously had seen something before. Why quite now? She just nodded her head sadly, just agreeing to disagree._

"_Next!" The clerk yelled, this time is was Luke and Annabeth's turn to get married. She hopped she was making the right decision, still thinking about Percy._

"_You can't just sit around on your ass anymore, Annabeth! I'm tired of doing all the work by myself! Either that, or get the hell out." Luke exclaimed angrily, walking into the tiny, shabby apartment with his tie loose and shirt practically half open. Over the course of five months, their marriage got worse and worse, nothing going right. Every day Luke came home demanding something new, or threatening something new to her. Recently, her new cause was about going to the community college to get here degree and to get a job, but immediately declined. He said if he couldn't get a college education because he married her, then neither could she. When she started to protest, he hit her. Sadly, it wasn't for the first time. _

_The first time he had hit here was probably two weeks after their so called "marriage". Because that day she was so busy and didn't have time to clean their hole in the wall and couldn't cook dinner early, he immediately pounce on her. So, now, she has a big collection of scars here and there, reminders of her horrible marriage._

"_I've been asking for a job for months now." She replied. He sneered at her._

"_Oh, really? I haven't noticed."_

"_You don't have to be rude about it."_

"_I'll do whatever I want to do about it. I'm the one who runs this household, I will do whatever I want, got it?"_

_Annabeth was fuming, she'd had enough of Luke already, and it was only five months in. How was this supposed to last a lifetime, could she even handle that? Probably not. Then, all of a sudden, she became blindingly angry at Percy Jackson. Yes, she cheated on him, but don't you rescue your loved ones from torture or anything of the above? Didn't he once love her? Did he still love her? She felt like getting through every day was a new torture. Blinding pain every day, but yet she put herself through this every day, she was a masochist. _

_For a quick second, she thought about leaving Luke and going back to her parents, but here mom wouldn't take her back. Well, maybe if she begged, but here pride wouldn't let her do that. But either way, she wanted a divorce. Maybe if she went home, she could see Percy? Before she could even finish her line of thought, all she could think about was the idea of a divorce. She didn't care if she had to sleep on the streets, she just wanted away from this evil nightmare. _

"_I want a divorce, Luke." She didn't even wait to see if he responded, she immediately went to the tiny dresser and started yanking clothes out, not caring about what she was packing. Luke followed her, but he stopped at the door, looking relieved, as if he never loved her, as if she was a waste of his time. Percy was right, he is a douche._

"_Good, now I won't have to see you around here, I'm free. Want to know the truth, I was cheating on you." He says it very happily, as if wanting to see her hurt. What had happened to the Luke she knew when she first met him, did people really change that badly? Had she changed? Was she really as selfish as Percy accused her of? Was leaving Luke after only five months selfish, because she couldn't stand her marriage anymore? At this point, she didn't care if she was selfish, she just wanted out?_

"_Oh, gee, I hadn't noticed. Which girl are you seeing this time? Wait, I don't even care anymore, Luke, you know? I haven't been happy married to you, I gave up everything for you, but it clearly didn't work out. I lost Percy because of you, you aren't the person I thought I loved. I never really loved you, it was always Percy, and I was just too blinded by you. You know, I'm not even going to apologize, because I am not sorry one bit. Goodbye, Luke."_

Currently, Annabeth was sitting in an uncomfortable, padded chair thinking about the past. This was probably the highlight of her day. Well, that, and her upcoming divorce. She was sitting inside a courthouse on the right side of the room with her cheap lawyer, not being able to afford anybody else since leaving Luke. Speaking of him, he was across the room on the left side of the judge, sneering at her.

The saddest part of this day was that Annabeth wasn't sad. She was sort of happy, even liberated. She was no longer forced to live with Luke or be married to him. She wouldn't have to suffer all types of his abuse, she was a free woman. She had gave up everything for him, her education, her heart, her dignity. Everything. Yet, here she was, divorcing him five months later. Wasn't irony funny that way?

At first, she had nowhere to go. Annabeth only had the clothes she took, the clothes and jacket she was wearing that day, and twenty dollars. She had gone to Central Park and was sitting on the snow covered bench, praying for some kind of chance at survival. Then, she decided to call her old, other friend, Percy's cousin, Thalia Grace.

Thalia immediately picked up the phone on the third ring, her voice tired and sleepy. Annabeth hadn't realized it was night, she was too focused on other things, like not starving to death.

"_Hello?" _

"_Oh, hey, Thals."_

"_Annie? I haven't heard from you in almost a year, is everything alright?" She was quiet for a while, not really processing anything, just feeling numb._

"_No."_

"_What happened?" Annabeth wanted to cry, after she hadn't called her friend for a year, she still treated her amazingly._

"_I kind of left my husband, and I'm sitting on a bench in central park." She tried to sound nonchalant, but it didn't really sound that way._

"_Do you have a place to stay at, Sweetie?" _

"_No."_

"_Well, stay where you are, I'm coming to get you." Thalia hung up. Annabeth had never been so grateful for somebody in her life, except for Percy. She would always be grateful for the time they spent together. So, she did the thing that would soothe her the quickest, she started singing. Once Thalia had picked Annabeth up, she immediately pulled the other girl into a hug. Thalia then took her to her apartment, letting her sleep on the couch. For the next two days, Annabeth never said one word, except when it was time to go to court for a divorce, Luke had texted her the details. _

After sort of reliving that phone conversation, Annabeth immediately looked back at the rows of benches, Thalia gave her an encouraging look. Then the gravel from the judge's desk was banged, signaling the beginning of this hearing.

"It says her that Luke Castellan and Annabeth Chase are looking for a divorce, is this true?"

Both Luke and Annabeth replied with a simple, but respectful, "Yes, Sir."

"Would both of you please give your accounts on why you would each respectfully like a divorce of this wedded union."

And so they did, Annabeth encountered her whole short term marriage to the judge, he who nodded sympathetically. Luke feed lies about her, stuff that she didn't say, do, or want. But in the end, they were given what they wanted. She was free. She no longer had to suffer from him.

On the way home, in Thalia's car, she asked the question she had been asking Luke for months.

"Do you think I could get a job?" Thalia nodded her head.

"In fact, I know the perfect place, you even know the owner, and you'd be hired on the spot. If you'd like, we could become roommates. I know my apartment is pretty small, but it would be nice if somebody was there with me. Would you like that?" Annabeth just nodded her head, still curious as to who the person she knew was.

The next day, Thalia woke her up at seven thirty at night and told her to get dressed for some walking. Which made her curious, of course.

"Why, what are we doing?"

"We're going to work. You'll be on your feet for a good amount. How do you bars?"

Not even ten minutes later, Annabeth was at a place called _CHB, _a local bar, one that also has a kitchen and does nightly, live music. The place was amazing to Annabeth. She had always loved architecture and singing. The music was supposedly amazing, so that was a plus. The place had nice, cold, dark colors, but yet gave off warmth. It had high arches, and just looked vintage in general. She already absolutely loved it. Then, Thalia led her into a back room, and standing behind a desk was her old, father figure.

"Chiron!" She immediately ran up to hug him, he always had this wise attitude about him and smelled like fresh coffee. She didn't even realize it, but she was crying.

"Hush, Child. Everything is alright, tell me what has happened over the last year." And so she did. He would pat her back and nod when needed.

"As Thalia has already asked me, you can work here. We'll try you out as a waitress first, they we'll see what we can do from there, okay?" She nodded her head frantically. Annabeth would start out tonight and see how things went, and they'd run with that. After everything was settled, Thalia went to leaf her by the bar to get ready for work, but one look at the man entering was enough to make her stop dead in her tracks.

"Annabeth?" The guy asked, voice filled with hatred and bitterness. She was officially staring into the green eyes of Percy Jackson.


	3. Sneak Peak of Ch 2

_Hey, My Amazing Readers!_

_So, to be nice, I am going to post a tiny sneak peak of "Contenders Ch. 2"! I know I've been updating pretty regularly lately, but that'll probably change, Life is busy! Especially the life of a freshman! So, this is like a future I'm-so-sorry-that-I-wont-be-publishing-any-new-stu ff-for-my-fanfiction-so-please-don't-send-a-mob-af ter-me apology! ENJOY!_

'Then he looked over at her, as if sensing her thoughts and her presence, he smirked knowing what a difficult time she was having with him flirting. He maliciously leaned over again, even closer to the perky brunette, practically kissing her. Annabeth dug her nails into her palm, quietly seething at him.

"Can I help you?" He sneered at her, still pretty close to the brunette.

"Maybe, but could you handle it? I doubt your tiny brain could process all of that." She replied with the same amount of animosity. He wanted to hate her, she would play just as much as he could. '


	4. Chapter 2

Hey, Guys!

Here's the next Chapter, number 2! Hope you enjoy! I am most likely going to update weekly, or every week and a half! So, here's this week's stuff. Some angst for you to twiddle your thumbs with. I may even update Mnemosyne this weekend! Seriously, though, enjoy this!

Love,

Meg! Review!

P.S! Follow me on tumblr: megan11209. I sometimes post sneak peaks and updates on what I am doing, writing wise!

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Annabeth couldn't believe her eyes, she even blinked them a little to make sure. To no avail, she was seeing correctly. She didn't want to be seeing clearly, praying to whatever god was listening at the moment that this was caused somehow because she was mentally unstable. That would be the best explanation, as to why she was seeing her old best friend.

"Percy?" She said his name in a barely-there whisper, hating how small her voice sounded, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't seen in two years, especially how sad they ended their relationship, with her cheating on him. She visibly winced just thinking about it, she never intentionally wanted to hurt him, it just happened that way. She really regretted the past, her infidelity, and her marriage. She wanted her best friend back, romantic relationship or not.

"Who else would it be? I thought you were supposed to be the oh-so smart one, huh?" He practically sneered his words at her, bringing her back into reality. He had grown, that much was obvious, and his temper, obviously. She wondered why he was in the city. When they were growing up, they lived in Brooklyn. Maybe he moved here after high school?

Annabeth couldn't respond to his taunting, she was still too stunned that he was here, where she was. She probably looked like a fish out of water, what with her gaping mouth opening and closing.

"Are you just going to stand there like an idiot, or is that just your new look?" He was taunting, daring her to say something to him, especially after their history together. He smirked, knowing that she couldn't, that he won this little scene. That was, until Thalia stepped in. She stepped further into the room, dominating it.

"What is your problem, _Little Cousin_?" She had the same taunting look to her face, but she had an air of protection towards Annabeth in her stance, where he had an air of cold bitterness. He sneered, once again.

"My _problem_ is that you brought _her_ here, _Pinecone Face!_"

"Well, you better get over it pretty quickly, Chiron gave her a job here." Thalia now had an air of superiority, and smirked when she realized he him duped. Just when he was planning to retort with a satire response, somebody else responded.

"Percy, may I see you in my office as soon as possible?" Chiron was the one interrupting, for which Annabeth was grateful, having some of the attention off her. While Thalia and Percy were _talking_, they had gathered the rest of the staff's attention. Percy just nodded his head curtly, pushing past Annabeth, making her lose her balance slightly. Thalia put an arm on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. Annabeth tried to shake off her hand, not really feeling in the best of moods.

"Hey, it's alright, okay?"

"No, it's not alright." She replied to her friend, voice even smaller. Thalia frowned at this.

"We can talk later, the shift is starting in a couple minutes, alright?" Annabeth just shrugged her shoulder's in a, _If you're lucky, we'll see, _manner. But this wasn't good enough for Thalia, she pushed her even farther.

"You have to talk to me eventually, you can't keep quiet forever."

"I can try." She mumbled dryly, but knew that Thalia would eventually pry it out of her about what happened with the divorce, she probably had her earphones in during the hearing. Figures. Thalia snorted, not believing her that she'll be able to resist Thalia. But Annabeth would sure try.

Then all of a sudden, there was a tiny bell sound, making her jump slightly, causing Thalia to laugh.

"Jumpy, Annie?" Annabeth scowled at her, mixing in a glare here and there, too. Thalia just laughed even harder, nothing fazing her.

"Don't get you panties in such a twist, would you? It's just the bell signaling that there's only five minutes left until the shift starts." She nods as if this makes sense to herself, even though she has never worked as a waitress.

"So, are you going to tell me what to do tonight, or am I going to walk around like a desperate puppy for help like the last two days?" Annabeth asked sarcastically, some of her old personality coming back, which made Thalia grin.

"You bet I am."

Five minutes late, Annabeth was still a little uneasy, but had a little more confidence than before. She understood all the technical aspects of waitressing, but actually doing it would be a whole other story. She knew to go to people when the wanted their checks, immediately drop their orders to the chef right away so they customers get it right away, _always, always wear sneakers. _The last tip was a personal one from Thalia, she said she suffered greatly for not listening to previous waitresses about that and suffered greatly. This, of course, made her laugh, which in turn made Thalia scowl playfully.

So when the time to start came about, Annabeth was a ball of nervousness and excitement, mixed with adrenaline. She was determined to do great at this, not to fail. She would show everybody that she could do okay in life, and that she didn't need Luke. She was independent. Maybe Percy would even come to respect her again, despite what she had done it the past. She could handle this. _No,_ she would _master this_. Some may thing that trying to _master _the art of _waitressing_ was _ridiculous_, but not to Annabeth. Now, this meant everything to her, her peace of mind, her dignity, her _everything_.

Percy had come back down a minute before it was time to work, look of hatred mixed with a glare was plastered on his face when he passed her. Yet again, she winced, her guilt rolling off her in waves, making him roll his eyes nastily, as if enjoying her self-insecurity. Hell, he probably was. Despite her thoughts on his actions, she deserved every last taunt he threw at her.

Now, it was time to receive her very first customer, her milestone. She walked right up to them, a couple holding hands, and she etched the biggest smile onto her face, hoping it came out more like a happy grin, not a psychopathic smile. They smiled back, making her ecstatic, she was _finally_ doing something right.

"Hey, my name's Annabeth, I'm going to be your waitress tonight? What can I get you to drink?" She prayed to the gods that she got the line right. Thalia had rehearsed with her before she started, but that hadn't really been a professional effort, it had involved a lot of obscene language and a little smacking each other. Her smile became a little more sincere when she thought about it. The couple seemed to relax slightly when seeing this.

"Two iced teas would be fine, thanks, honey." The guy said, but didn't say 'honey' in a creepy way, which Annabeth was relieved her a little. She grinned, leaving to get their sodas. When she went up to the bar, Percy was there, playing the exact image of the stereotypical "bartender". He had a towel propped up on one shoulder, nice clothes, rolling glasses on the dark wood, and leaning over the counter, flirting with girls, who even flirted back.

Annabeth was angry, no, she was livid. How dare those girls flirt with _her boyfriend! _The last thought pulled her up short, knocking her into some _idiotic _reality, he _wasn't _her boyfriend, and she had no right to be angry at him. He was single, or was he? She definitely would need to get the scope on this. Then he looked over at her, as if sensing her thoughts and her presence, he smirked knowing what a difficult time she was having with him flirting. He maliciously leaned over again, even closer to the perky brunette, practically kissing her. Annabeth dug her nails into her palm, quietly seething at him.

"Can I help you?" He sneered at her, still pretty close to the brunette.

"Maybe, but could you handle it? I doubt your tiny brain could process all of that." She replied with the same amount of animosity. He wanted to hate her, she would play just as much as he could.

"Oh, I can, don't doubt it, Chase. But should I help you? What do you think, Callie?" He leaned is seductively to the girl named Callie.

"Nah, I don't think she deserves any help, especially with her holier than thou vibe." She smirked, as if she won the Olympics, Annabeth had to just grit her teeth and deal with it. Did she real think that he would be nice to her after her infidelity? Had she really been that naïve? She would become just as cold as he was, she would stoop to his level.

"Whatever, Jackson. Just move, I need to get these drinks ready." He frowned, as if he lost his entertainment value. She pushed past him, filling the pint glasses with Iced Tea. She even pushed him when she went by him, gaining some more of her dignity. She walked over to the couple, who didn't even look annoyed, thank the gods. They were way too wrapped up in each other to notice, which made her feel a little sad inside, a tad dead. They thanked her for the drinks, and she left with their orders and her heart in her hands.

During the night, Annabeth continued to work, and most of all, dealing with Percy's huge attitude. She had only dropped one plate and a tiny glass, which made a loud, prominent _clang! _It attracted lots of attention, making her want to crawl out of her skin with all the _looks_ she was getting. Speaking of attention, it even gained Percy's, which, of course, to him, deserved a rude, mocking look, adorned with a nasty smirk. But in the end, Thalia stepped in for her.

"She's new! Turn around, would you?" She said to the amount of customers, some looking appalled, but some regulars were snickering at her bluntness. Chiron just shook his head fondly at the two eighteen-year-olds, remembering the times when they were younger, less of the drama in their lives. _Though_, every child _did have_ some type of crisis going on in their lives, past or present, _that's_ why he'd hired the youngsters.

By the end on the night, Annabeth was utterly _exhausted_. She was so thankful for the advice Thals had given her the sneaker controversy. Otherwise, she wouldn't be currently sitting down on a bar stool, she'd be at the hospital getting her feet amputated. Just the thought makes her grimace, what would she do without Thalia? _Oh, right, she'd still be homeless and jobless in Central Park. Or worse, she could still be married. _The thought made her shiver in disgust, the anger practically rolling off her in waves. Suddenly, somebody threw an arm around her shoulders, and their sweaty face in her's. She was looking into Thalia's blue eyes, glinting in some kind of twisted, mocked, amused way.

"What's got your panties in a twist, Princess? _Oh, sorry, that's not your name, is it, Annie?"_ She did a perfect, yet strangely creepy imitation of Luke's high pitched voice. Annabeth rolled her eyes. She absolutely hated people calling her the cliché nicknames of Annabeth. That's why she never minded when Percy called her "Wise Girl". But Luke had just _insisted_ she should have been called "Annie" when the officially started dating. Now, Thalia found it as good material for her _jokes_.

"Just your _lovely personality_, that's all." She used just as much sarcasm, glad to be in old ways. Thalia just grinned.

"But, seriously, what's up?" Annabeth sighed, she'd have to be honest to her friend about her random thoughts and moods lately.

"Just thinking about my failed _marriage_, if that's what you could even call it! I was so _miserable! _But then I start thinking about how I sort of quit, I couldn't even last a full year. I threw away almost _everything! _I only have you, and I didn't think you would even talk to me! I treated you so _downright shitty-"She_ didn't even get to finish talking, Thalia immediately wrapped her into a big hug.

Thalia always gave the best bugs. Well, besides Percy, his were always so _warm, and-_ her thoughts were again interrupted by Thalia.

"We'll talk about everything when we get home, alright?" She just nodded in consent.

When they did get to Thalia's apartment- _their _apartment. She was telling Annabeth some story that she was barely paying attention to, but stopped when she heard a familiar name. No, more than _familiar_.

"…so she tripped over the leg, and Piper went flying over the table, landing in Jason's lap. But, of course, Percy, being Percy, had to make some kind of innuendo." She said this all with a fond smile, as if she weren't talking about Annabeth's ex. She immediately stopped when the door was closed, too frozen to do anything.

"Percy?" She asked in a betrayed voice. She was so consumed with feeling today, she forgot to even question Thalia about him. She looked over at the blond haired girl, a confused feeling etching its way onto her face.

"Yeah, what about it?" She acted as if she had no clue what Annabeth was asking her! That made her blood boil even hotter.

"Percy, as in my ex-boyfriend?" Annabeth narrowed her eyes in suspicion at her. A new look crossed Thalia's face, a look of nervousness.

"Oh, him? You noticed?" Ah, she was going to try and play dumb.

"Thalia!" She wanted to strangle her best friend at the moments, she_ lied _to her! So, Annabeth was on a role, she continued to yell.

"You _knew_ he was going to be there! Yet, you brought me there, to all that self-loathing and guilt!"

"You _deserve _the self-loathing, you ungrateful tramp!" Thalia couldn't stand to be yelled at any longer, she lost it, revealing things she wasn't ready to.

"Excuse me?" Annabeth was full of shock at this point, she would never say that to her best friend if Thalia was yelling at her!

"You heard me!"

"Well, why don't you tell me why I _deserve_ it, as you so self-righteously put it!" Annabeth practically sneered.  
"Because you chose Luke over Percy!"

"What?" She faltered at the mention of his name. Thalia had a cautious gaze now, not wanting to dig too far, but she had to say _something. _

"Because you picked Luke over Percy, that's why. When you left, he was never the same. He never had that same glint in his eyes again, he always looked somewhat dead. He's my _family_, Annabeth! That may not mean anything of significance to you, you threw yours away so carelessly, but it means something to me! _You_ did this to him!" Annabeth was dizzy, she felt like her past had literally grabbed her and forced her to stay there for all eternity.

"So what _exactly _does this have to do with me working at the bar?" She was curious as to what the answer was, but was also hesitant. It could open up a can of worms for her.

"Well, I thought if I brought you there and he would see you, he would _forgive_ you, but apparently not. Though, I am still trying, currently. What do you think about this?" She had this sort of excited grin, the one that made Annabeth happy with joy to see. But she wasn't feeling joy, she was feeling the complete opposite, she was feeling _anger_.


End file.
